史敦宇

Shi Dunyu

「敦」取自「敦煌」，「宇」来自「宇宙」。

Born in the Mogao Caves in 1952, and named by Chang Shuhong: 敦 for Dunhuang, 宇 for the universe.

For seventy years her family has restored Dunhuang's murals: first the line, then the missing parts, then the colour. Here, your finger becomes her brush.

Line drawing of four seated musicians

「你在这儿就拿这个画。」

“Here — draw with this.” Chang Shuhong, handing a toddler an elm twig.

用手指在沙上划Swipe once across the damp sand

Her dishes of mineral pigment

「我常常磨着磨着，就趴在那儿睡着了。」

“I'd grind and grind — and fall asleep right there over the stone.”

轻点一碟颜料Tap a dish to pick its colour

Line drawing of a flying apsara trailing long ribbons, with calligraphy at the right The same apsara painted in lapis blue, teal and coral on silk-toned paper

「复原，从一根线开始。」

“Restoration begins with a single line.”

沿线描摹Trace the faint lines with a finger

然后，是色彩

Then, colour — the freshly ground blue first.

轻触Touch to help the colour spread

「飞天的飘逸就该是这个样子的。」

“This is how a flying apsara's lightness should look.” — her mother, swinging a long scarf.

甩动手指Flick a finger like a scarf through the air

A musician in an arched niche, orange wall, turquoise scarves and a halo
A second musician in a dark arched niche with black ribbons and a turquoise halo
A procession of women and girls carrying offerings beneath a willow and a canopy

「我的家，就在敦煌。」

“My home is right here in Dunhuang.”

提灯照壁Carry the lamp along the walls

Shi Dunyu in a green patterned tunic, holding a brush over a bowl of blue pigment

用手指擦亮Wipe the dark away with a finger

「父母把画笔交给了她，而她仍在画。」

Her parents handed her the brush — and she is still painting.

史敦宇Shi Dunyu · Mogao Caves, Dunhuang